Alexis Creek’s Jake Ilnicki (front, second from right) hangs out with Lake City Falcons rugby players and coaches prior to last Saturday’s 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifier with Uruguay at BC Place Stadium.

Uruguay bests Canada in World Cup qualifier

Alexis Creek’s Jake Ilnicki and Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team are now down to their last chance to qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Canada fell to Uruguay 32-31 in the second and final leg of the 2019 World Cup qualifying series in Montevideo, Uruguay Saturday, which saw the final aggregate score total 70-60 for the South Americans to secure the Americas 2 position.

Ilnicki and Canada will now look to book their spot in Japan at the World Cup for next year though a last-chance repechage tournament in November, with the details to be made public by World Rugby in the coming weeks.

The team will now focus its efforts on the U.S. as the two teams will square off Feb. 10 in Sacramento, CA. before Canada meets Brazil on Feb. 17 in Langford, B.C. for the 2018 Americas Rugby Championship.

The series wraps up with two more games on Feb. 24 in Argentina, before Canada travels to face Chile on March 3.